A long-closed and seemingly vandalized church at Bird and Hoyt will be turned into apartments under plans starting the process through the City Planning Board.
If plans fall into place, the former Bethlehem Presbyterian Church will open in the fall of next year as Cornerstone Lofts, with 12 market rate units built within the church structure.
"If you look at them from a creative perspective, there's a lot of interesting architectural features that can be used in the rehab," said Developer Michael Pietrocarlo.
"Floor plans for each individual unit tend to be very unique. It's hard to replicate them because of the shape of the exterior, the envelope of the building. So, there are some challenges, for sure."
Pietrocarlo says he first saw the church while driving through the neighborhood and discovered it was being sold. When that deal fell through, he bought it.